Six-page PDF steps the reader through the common parts of any scientific study with follow-up questions to guide understanding. Find a scholarly/peer reviewed article in your subject area of interest and follow along .
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS ARE WRITTEN TO :
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS ARE READ TO :
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"Many individuals believe that qualitative methods refer to research procedures that collect subjective human-generated data. However, subjective data can be quantitative, such as the subjective responses to carefully constructed usability questionnaires used as outcome end points. Diagnostic codes are another example of quantitative forms of subjective data.
Qualitative methods, rather, refer to procedures and methods that produce narrative or observational descriptive data that are not intended for transformation into numbers. Narrative data refers to information in the form of stories, themes, meanings and metaphors. Collecting this information requires the use of systematic procedures where the purpose is to understand and explore while minimizing bias." (Weir, 2018) in
Health Informatics : An Interprofessional Approach"Narrative's role in decision making remains underexplored in health science and policy research. Three key reasons account for this situation. First, qualitative studies often do not gather data from representative populations, and thus their results may not be generalizable. Second, to maintain confidentiality and because data are voluminous, investigators rarely share qualitative data sets, which makes it difficult to combine or compare findings from different qualitative studies. Finally, the limitations on generalizability and data sharing can make it difficult to translate qualitative findings into practical strategies for health improvement." (Dohan, 2015)
In contrast to a more divisive viewpoint widely adhered to in the 1980s and 1990s that quantitative and qualitative methods were "radically incompatible," since the early 2000s blended approaches have gained acceptance. "The post-positivist's randomized controlled trial could determine which medication was superior for the average patient, and the social constructionist could interview individual patients and their caregivers in order to understand what it means to live with the disease and its treatment. . . . There are excellent examples of interdisciplinaryteams bringing both qualitative and quantitative approaches to bear on complex health problems." (Ring, 614)
Another excellent overview may be found via PubMed Central:
Also see Chapter 8, "Inaccuracies in Qualitative Research : A Buffonian Approach," in
Aims & Scope
The aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals, thereby promoting their increased usage and impact. The DOAJ aims to be comprehensive and cover all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content. In short, the DOAJ aims to be the one-stop shop for users of open access journals.
Here's what to look for:
| CRITERIA | POPULAR MAGAZINE | TRADE JOURNAL | SCHOLARLY JOURNAL |
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| Content | Secondary discussion of someone else's research; may include personal narrative or opinion; general information, purpose is to entertain or inform. | Current news, trends and products in a specific industry; practical information for professionals working in the field or industry. | In-depth, primary account of original findings written by the researcher(s); very specific information, with the goal of scholarly communication. |
| Author | Author is frequently a journalist paid to write articles, may or may not have subject expertise. | Author is usually a professional in the field, sometimes a journalist with subject expertise. | Author's credentials are provided; usually a scholar or specialist with subject expertise. |
| Audience | General public; the interested non-specialist. | Professionals in the field; the interested non-specialist. | Scholars, researchers, and students. |
| Language | Vocabulary in general usage; easily understandable to most readers. | Specialized terminology or jargon of the field, but not as technical as a scholarly journal. | Specialized terminology or jargon of the field; requires expertise in subject area. |
| Graphics | Graphs, charts and tables; lots of glossy advertisements and photographs. | Photographs; some graphics and charts; advertisements targeted to professionals in the field. | Graphs, charts, and tables; very few advertisements and photographs. |
| Layout & Organization | Informal; may include non-standard formatting. May not present supporting evidence or a conclusion. | Informal; articles organized like a journal or a newsletter. Evidence drawn from personal experience or common knowledge. | Structured; includes the article abstract, goals and objectives, methodology, results (evidence), discussion, conclusion, and bibliography. |
| Accountability | Articles are evaluated by editorial staff, not experts in the field; edited for format and style. | Articles are evaluated by editorial staff who may be experts in the field, not peer-reviewed*; edited for format and style. | Articles are evaluated by peer-reviewers* or referees who are experts in the field; edited for content, format, and style. |
| References | Rare. Little, if any, information about source materials is given. | Occasional brief bibliographies, but not required. | Required. Quotes and facts are verifiable. |
| Paging | Each issue begins with page 1. | Each issue generally begins with page 1. | Page numbers are generally consecutive throughout the volume. |
